Letters to the Editor: La Cañadans weigh in on school demonstration, Oakmont Senior Living project; another shares ‘grandaughterisms’
Re: “La Cañada High students stand together against gun violence,” March 15. The Valley Sun’s headline referring to La Cañada Flintridge students standing together against gun violence indicates a different perspective from other demonstrating students. Students across the country came together to protest our government’s failure to enact meaningful gun control legislation. Did the La Cañada students not get that message or did they and the Valley Sun choose not to mention gun control?
Bob Lemchen
La Cañada
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Re: Proposed Oakmont Senior Living project on Foothill Boulevard at Woodleigh Lane: Opposition to the Oakmont Senior Living project is not anti-senior. It is anti-awful. It’s being described to us as active senior living when it is just a 72-bed moneymaker for Oakmont. Thousand Oaks just rejected Oakmont’s proposal. They consistently underestimate their staff parking, underestimate the true impact upon our traffic, and way overestimate the benefit to local merchants when they make their proposals. With no parking for residents, all centralized purchasing for food and supplies, and in-house dining and beauty care, this is no boon to the merchants. And how long will it take ambulances to realize Foothill can already be impassable during our rush hours, to start screaming down side streets south of Foothill to get to the freeways and hospitals faster? We need to put our feet down hard on this now.
Lauren Oakes
La Cañada
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As a longtime resident of La Cañada I was interested in the proposed Oakmont Senior Living project until I looked into it. It is not what it is being sold as. It is not “active senior living” with no kitchens, no living rooms, no parking spaces for residents. With a small room/bath, an in-house dining room and beauty parlor for people who can no longer get out to drive, shop, cook, or go get their hair done. It is, in other words, a convalescent home.
This rule-breaking proposal violates almost every rule and guideline our elected city officials and we citizens have spent the last 30 years putting into place to prevent just such a massive, out-of-scale, out-of-place proposal such as this.This is not what La Cañada seniors want to move into when we are ready to let go of our high-maintenance homes.
A little research into Oakmont’s situation in Northern California reveals they are being sued for wrongful deaths in the Tubbs fire, asserting they had only three employees on duty the night of that fire, not enough vehicles to get all the residents out, and no real evacuation plan. The suit alleges one-third of their “guests” were left behind when the employees fled. Family heroically rescued the rest but two died as a result of the experience. We are a fire area so this alone is reason enough to deny this company any place in our town. But all in all it is unbelievable this project ever made it in front of the La Cañada Flintridge Planning Commission. They should reject it completely.
Cathi Beauclair
La Cañada
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When watching television or reading the newspaper, we’re being inundated by tragedies caused by both man and nature, information that will soon have you in a state of depression. The TV anchor will open the program with “Ah! Yes, there’s good news today” and then proceed to inform you of all that isn’t good.
So, I thought I’d relate a few stories that might bring a smile to your face.
My wife and I had the privilege of baby-sitting our two granddaughters from the time they were 3 months old until they were 10 and 12 years old. Both parents worked, so we had them five days a week, early morning until late at night. I kept a diary and recorded what transpired during their stay with us.
Here’s the first “granddaughterism”: When the younger one was about 4 or 5, we were watching cartoons on TV. She was sitting on my lap, looked up at me and said, “I love you, Grandpa, forever.” I replied, “Someday I won’t be here anymore. Then what will you do?” She answered, “I’ll get a new grandpa.” I said, “Pray tell me where you will get a new grandpa?” Without any hesitation, she said, “At the lost and found.”
Here’s another “ism”:
At about the same age, one of them was playing in the yard. I was doing something in the house. I heard the back door open and she came in, running for the bathroom. A few seconds later she hollered, “Grandpa, I need help.” I went in the bathroom and said, “What’s the problem?” She replied, “I had an accident.” I reassured her that people of all ages have accidents. I cleaned her up. She said, “I love you, Grandpa, and from now on you take care of the back and I’ll do the front.”
Sgt. George Kritzman, U.S. Army (Ret.)
La Cañada